NASCAR Driver Makes Feelings Clear on Challenging Corey Heim’s Truck Series Domination

Talking about tomorrow’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Darlington, the attention is on Front Row Motorsports. The bold statement in qualifying was for Layne Riggs to claim the pole position. Teammate Chandler Smith was right beside him in second. The seven-time winner, Corey Heim, has been the most dominant driver of the season; however, Riggs and Smith are the only two other drivers to have won multiple times—two wins apiece—this year. That powerful front-row lockout signals they’re ready to challenge Heim’s grip on the championship.

A victory in tomorrow’s race would be huge for either driver, as it would automatically secure their spot in the next round of the playoffs. Highlighting their practice session, Layne Riggs said, “I think it just shows that we’re the fastest truck here this weekend. Practice, we were really fast to start. I feel like we fell off a little bit, but I think we know the exact adjustment we need to make. But, I just love this racetrack.”

Rivalry Rekindled: Riggs and Heim Clash for Truck Series Playoff

With the onset of the NASCAR Truck Series playoffs at Darlington Raceway, the high-stakes on-track racing has begun, and two of the more aggressive contenders in the fray, Layne Riggs and Corey Heim, are set to test the limits. The on-track rivalry between the two is not something new, but rather a well-established feud traced back to their late model racing days. This season, however, it’s become bigger than ever.

That was the triggering incident that occurred in May 2025 at North Wilkesboro. Corey Heim found himself getting overtaken by his rival on the very last lap after having dominated most of the race. In an arguably dirty move, Layne Riggs used a hard slide job to push ahead of Heim, spinning him out of contention for the post-race confrontation, which was filled with raw emotions and sharp words. Although the incident didn’t cost Riggs the victory (he finished second), it solidified his reputation as a driver willing to do anything to win. 

On the contrary, Heim, for the most part, has been answering the rivalry in performance. He has become the seminal dominant force in the Truck Series, with a series-high seven wins this season. Such has been the dominance of his success that some would argue he could have amassed double digits if only a race or two had tipped in his favor. Heim and his TRICON Garage team are the ones to beat, and every other driver in the grid knows this.

Speaking to Bob Pockrass during an interview, Riggs claimed, “I wouldn’t call it a chip on my shoulder, but I feel like we have the speed when we hit everything right, and we’ve shown that we could be a contender just like them. So yeah, I am excited for this coming up.”

Riggs has already shown he can handle the pressure. He, Heim, and Cup Series star Kyle Larson battled fiercely at Homestead, a track with a similar layout to Darlington. In an epic display of short-track racing, Riggs and Larson ran wheel-to-wheel against the wall, showcasing the kind of skill and nerve needed to win a championship. If anyone can challenge Heim, it’s Riggs. Though Riggs hasn’t claimed it directly, he did say during the same interview, “I know that in Phoenix, I assume myself and the 11 teams going to be there fighting for a championship. And I think either of us has just as good of a shot at the racetrack like that.”

For Layne Riggs, the opportunity to kick off the playoffs at Darlington is huge. A win at the playoffs will automatically move him to the cup series, giving his team a massive strategic advantage. This early victory would free them from the pressure of the upcoming races and allow them to pour all their resources into preparing for a specific, preferred track. It’s a game-changing move that champions like Joey Logano have used to great effect. And Riggs has already started putting his strategies into action.

Layne Riggs scores a pole for the playoff opener

Layne Riggs is showing the world that he belongs at the top. The 23-year-old hails from Bahama, North Carolina, and just turned heads last weekend at Darlington Raceway by putting down a great lap that will get him a pole ahead of Saturday’s Sober or Slammer 200. But not only was it quick, but he also owned the fastest lap of the day, beating out some of the best names in the industry.

Riggs, behind the wheel of his No. 34 Ford, clocked in at 29.323 seconds, which was just enough to beat the time put down by his teammate, Chandler Smith, and series heavyweight Corey Heim by a marginal difference, less than a thousandth of a second. It’s his second pole of the season and a serious warning shot to TRICON Garage and their dominant season.

For Front Row Motorsports, things couldn’t really get any more perfect than this. They have Layne Riggs on pole and Smith next to him; the entire front row is locked down. Riggs has been here before, too; in fact, the last time he started from the pole, he went on to win. He has his sights set on history repeating itself at one of the most challenging tracks on the schedule.